Awesome as a word is overused these days but it is a word that accurately describes the Expedition recorded by Justine Curgenven's superb film. Justine is of course the doyen of Sea Kayaking film production most famous for her 'This is The Sea' series. Nevertheless this film surpasses even her earlier work. The filmwork is superb and the expedition it records is an epic.
For 101 days Justine and Sarah Outen kayaked the 2500km length of the Aleutian Island chain, spending up to 15 hours at a time in their Kayaks. To set the scene on needs to start at the beginning of the tale and this is Sarah's epic self-powered round the world trip which she commenced in April 2011 and is due to complete sometime towards the end of 2015 (for details visit her website http://www.sarahouten.com/ ). Having rowed solo across the Pacific in 2013 from Japan to Adak Island in the Aleutian Islands she was forced to abandon her trip in her row boat but determined to return to continue from where she left off in 2014 this time by Kayak.
This DVD tells the story of that continuation this time in Sea Kayaks and with the expert aid of Justine. The early part of the DVD covers Justine's training of Sarah over the winter of 2013 (Sarah was a relative novice Kayaker – I say relative that is to Justine as she's a damned sight better than most from what I can tell!) . This is a truly epic journey. It is inspirational to see what can be done by a relative novice (Sarah admitted to being scared on many an occasion) if one just gets out there and does it.
The Aleutian chain provides a stunning backdrop as the women progress through their journey, encountering uncharted tidal conditions, poor weather, fog and even Grizzly Bears but also the local hospitality on those islands that are inhabited. This far North the weather changes rapidly and it is a tribute to the skills of these explorers that they thrive in these conditions whilst still producing such a superb film. The physical challenges of sitting for hours in Kayaks day after day can only be marvelled at. This DVD is a must for anyone interested in adventure, whether they are into Kayaking or not.
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